What Now?
by YYHfan-KB
Summary: Daisuke and Satoshi have finished high school together, now Satoshi lives in Tokyo and Daisuke is studying art at college now. When summer break rolls around Daisuke decides to pay his friend a visit who knows what will happen... light yaoi chapter 9 and onwards... Plot Bunny Came Back, but might not stay...
1. Beginnings

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel.

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><p>Satoshi sighed as he stretched, trying to loosen the knots in his back. It had been a long, hard day in a line of long, hard days. Being the captain of his S.W.A.T. team plus being on call virtually twenty-four hours a day for six days on end was exhausting, physically and mentally.<p>

It had been a year and half since the end of high school, and nearly five years since Krad and Dark had been sealed into the Black Wings. Satoshi had only stayed in school for two reasons: to be a normal fifteen year old, and Daisuke.

_I wonder what he's doing right now?_ The image of his bubbly red-headed friend made him smile a little, Daisuke was going to the college of fine arts in his hometown, Azumano while Satoshi had opted to go back onto the force in Tokyo.

The two had become close friends after Krad and Dark had been sealed away, Daisuke's mother still didn't like Satoshi too well but she was a little more polite now.

_I really miss him,_ sighing Satoshi glanced back at the paperwork piled on his desk, _and I'd better get back to work I guess._

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><p>"Mom! I told you, I'm going to Tokyo for my summer break to spend it with Hiwatari-kun!" The red-head snapped his large suitcase together (locking his keys in it) as he argued with his mother.<p>

"But Dai-chan!"

"Mom, I'm going and that's that." Daisuke smiled at his over-protective mother.

"All right Dai-chan, but promise me that you'll call every other day at least."

"I promise Mom."

Daisuke hefted his over-loaded suitcase, grabbed his artist's bag and headed for the staircase. "Daisuke," Kosuke's head popped out of the kitchen as Daisuke walked past, "tell Hiwatari-kun I said hello."

"Ok, I will dad." Daisuke smiled as he left his family's home.

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><p>Two hours later Daisuke was seated on a Tokyo bound train, still two hours away from his destination. <em>I wonder how Satoshi is doing...<em> The red-head grinned when he thought of the look his friend would give him for showing up so suddenly, without notice.

Then he remembered why he was headed for Tokyo for the summer, to get away from his mistakes. Namely, Riku. Scratching his head Daisuke remembered what had happend not two weeks ago.

_"Daisuke?" He and Riku had met in the park that afternoon just to spend some time together. "Um, Daisuke... I... I'm sorry, I can't be your girlfriend anymore."_

_"What? Why?" Daisuke was shaken to his core in that moment, "Did I do someting wrong Riku?"_

_"No, no its not you Daisuke... I just, I met someone and well..." Riku paused, "I'm sorry Daisuke, you're a nice guy and all but I don't think its going to work out between us. I'm sorry." Riku turned and walked away from him._

He could feel the tears begining to form in his eyes, threatening to spill over onto his cheeks. "I can't believe she would just up and leave me like that..." He whispered to himself.

Shaking his head, Daisuke pulled out a battered sketch book and started to draw.

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><p>Satoshi had just finished the last stack of paper work from that day when his phone rang, sighing inwardly he answered, "Hiwatari speaking, a hostage situation? Where? Cherry St, lower East Side, got it. I'll be there as fast as I can."<p>

Snapping his phone shut and snagging a jacket Satoshi headed for the door, _I sometimes wonder why I chose this profession..._


	2. Whoops

Stepping out of the train station Daisuke consulted the map he had grabbed earlier as he had been walking out of the station. Comparing the address on a scrap of paper he held in his left hand to the map in his right Daisuke realized he was only a few blocks away from Satoshi's apartment.

Grinning he stuck the map and piece of paper into his back pocket for later reference, grabbed his suitcase and art bag, _I wonder if I should have let him know I was coming…. Oh well it'll be a suprise._

Shrugging his worries away the red-head set off to see his friend.

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><p>"Oi, Satoshi, wanna go for a drink with us? You know, to relieve the pressure?" Satoshi glanced up at his stocky teammate, Nesuke Hiriom, a big-hearted blonde with enough patience to beat a monk.<p>

"Not tonight Nesuke, I just want to go home and get some sleep. It's ten-thirty already, and I haven't slept in a couple of days." Satoshi pulled on his jacket as he spoke.

"Man, sometimes I wonder how you do it. I know I couldn't stay as rational as you do if I had to stay awake for days on end." Nesuke grinned.

"Mm." Satoshi stood up, only to have his legs give out.

"Whoa, careful boss," Nesuke reached out and steadied Satoshi, "you gonna be ok? Why don't I walk you home just to make sure you make it in one piece? Ok?"

"You don't have to Nesuke, it's just my blood pressure seems to have dropped again…"

"I think I'll walk you home anyway." Nesuke grabbed hold of Satoshi's arm again as he started to collapse, "Bloody hell, am I going to have carry you?"

Sighing when he realized that the bluenette was out cold Nesuke lifted him piggy-back style and headed for the door, "At least you're fairly light weight boss."

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><p>Daisuke had reached the address on the paper but could hardly believe that Satoshi would live in such a run-down old apartment building like this.<p>

It had a neglected feel to it, the front steps were crumbling and the railing was rickety and old. Inside exposed pipes ran across the top of the walls, leaking in some places, and one section of the ceiling was gone patched over with cardboard.

_What a dump, why would Satoshi of all people live in a place like this?_ Daisuke mused as he read the address for the hundredth time, third floor apartment 3b.

Glancing around one more time Daisuke took to the stairs, preferring them over the elevator lift. The walls on the way up were in bad shape, leaks had left them stained and warped in some places plaster had been slapped on to patch holes.

At the third floor Daisuke found 3b at the end of a dimly light hallway. Knocking on the door Daisuke received no response.

_I wonder if he's home, I definitely should have called ahead… No help for it, I'll just have to pick the lock Satoshi won't mind, hopefully._

Opening the lock was child's play, no more than a few seconds of jiggling it and probing it with a piece of wire Daisuke found in his pocket it was open, _you'd think he'd have better security, he's probably got an alarm of some sort inside._

Opening the door Daisuke immediately saw the small alarm mounted on the wall, _thought so, let's see here… A D-n903 that's pretty easy compared to some alarms I've disabled but still a tough one._ Nimble fingers turned off the alarm in a matter of seconds.

Sighing in relief Daisuke turned to shut the door before examining the room before him.

What he saw when he turned around surprised him, instead of the immaculate cleanliness he had experienced when Satoshi had lived in Azumano was long gone. Dirty dishes were scattered randomly around the room, stacks of what Daisuke could only assume were paperwork were every where.

Stepping into the kitchen/dining area he saw a small pile of dirty dishes on the counter by the sink, a bowl of something unidentifiable on the table, and more paperwork.

_Satoshi, what happened to you? This isn't your style…_ Starting Daisuke realized that this might not be the right apartment, _uh-oh._ Setting his stuff down he headed for what appeared to be the bedroom

In the bedroom he looked around at the bare walls, noting the single nightstand by the king size bed in the middle of the floor.

_There's nothing personal in here... _Daisuke was startled out of his thoughts by a voice in the entryway, "Whoever you are you had better come out right now or I'll shoot."

_Aww man,_ _I knew it, I did get the wrong place after all._ Walking over to the door he called out, "I'm coming out, don't shoot."

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><p>AN: So I hope everyone who reads this enjoys it, yes its cliché but there will be an unexpected twist somewhere in the plot soon. If you leave me a review I'd really appreciate it, arigato!


	3. Slight Mistake

Daisuke slowly pushed open the bedroom door, and walked out hands first to face a very, very, big man; his hair was a dark brown, almost black but not quite, huge muscular arms held a small caliber pistol, probably a service weapon, and his dark jeans and tight red shirt showed the man's abs.

"Hands above your head." He motioned with the gun for Daisuke to raise his hands.

"Sure, um I think there may have been a mistake. I got this address from a friend's who said it was his place and um, well the door was unlocked and umm I thought this was his house and umm…" Daisuke was sweating he really didn't want to get shot by an angry man holding a gun.

"What's your name kid?"

"Uh…" Daisuke didn't really want to tell this guy his name but he was really big and he was the one holding a gun, "Daisuke Niwa…sir…"

"Hmm, and I'm Nesuke Hiriom. You say a friend told you about this place?"

"Ye-yeah, umm can you lower the gun…? It's kinda making me nervous…" Daisuke wasn't sure if this Nesuke Hiriom was going to shoot him or not, "I won't run off, or try to flee I swear."

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><p>Nesuke considered his options, A.) He could let the kid sweat by leaving the gun out, or B.) He could put the gun away, and let the kid relax. Taking a look at the spiky red head Nesuke decided on B, it was probably the best choice to make at this point. He could see the relief in the young man's eyes when he lowered the gun and put it in its holster.<p>

"Who told you about this place?" He examined the kid closely, the messy red hair, the paint-splattered jeans, and graphic t-shirt all indicated that he was an art student. He matched the description that Satoshi had given him but...

Daisuke answered interupting Nesuke's thoughts, "My friend Satoshi Hiwatari gave me the address…"

Nesuke couldn't stop the surprise from showing up on his face briefly before quickly composing himself, "Oh really? Do you have proof?"

"Umm, let me get into my pocket, he wrote the address on it himself." Daisuke reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out the map and grubby white piece of paper containing the address.

"Here's the address," Holding out his hand with the paper in it Daisuke couldn't help but wonder, he had seen the surprise on the big man's face when he had mentioned Satoshi did that mean he knew Satoshi?

Nesuke took the piece of paper and glanced at it, "You said your name was Daisuke Niwa right?"

"Yeah, that's me." Daisuke seemed to be getting nervous, poor kid probably

Nesuke looked at the red hair one more time and decided that even if he wasn't really the right guy he was probably harmless, "You found the right place kid, the commander is over there passed out at the moment." Nesuke jerked his thumb back to the entry way indicating where he had left Satoshi unconcious.

"So my address was right, he hasn't moved!" Daisuke seemed to come alive with relief, "All right!" Punching one fist into the air he almost glowed.

"Hey now, calm down kiddo." Nesuke grinned, the kid's mood was infectious, "Why don't you help me move him into the bedroom? Then we can talk."

"Ok, I can get him if you want." Daisuke all but bounced over to the sleeping Satoshi and picked him up like he was nothing at all.

Nesuke was suprised, he hadn't figured the red head could handle much weight with that slender body of his. "You must have some muscle to be able to pick up the boss like that."

"Hmm? Oh, I used to carry him all the way home from school whenever he passed out from not eating for days plus my family put me through some intense training that has kept me fit." Daisuke laughed hollowly thinking back to the good, and bad old days. And Riku...

Frowning as he carried Satoshi into the bedroom Daisuke was overwhelmed with memories of his happy days with Riku...

_"Daisukeee!" she came running up to him excited, and ready for their date at the amusement park dressed in her khaki's and usual t-shirt. "Daisuke hurry up slow poke!" She had smiled at him and he felt so happy in that moment that the world could have ended and he wouldn't have cared._

_"Ok, I'm coming Riku I swear I'm coming." He had laughed and run to catch her midway in a fierce hug, "I love you Riku."_

_"I love you too Daisuke." She had wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes..._

Realizing he had stopped in the middle of the bedroom with Satoshi snoring on his back Daisuke moved on over to the bed before Nesuke could ask what was wrong.

Stepping back out after making sure Satoshi was well tucked in and asleep Daisuke faced Nesuke who was now seated on the couch.

"So I'm guessing you're one of Satoshi's teammates, right?" Daisuke sat down opposite the bigger man in the armchair.

"Yeah, I'm his second-in-command. We're pretty close, like a family." Nesuke smiled when he realized the read head couldn't sit still, he kept going from his legs crossed, to one foot tapping on the floor or both feet firmly planted.

"That's good, Satoshi has always needed someone to take care of him." Daisuke grinned.

"So what brings you here?"

"It's my summer break and I haven't seen Satoshi in forever so I thought I'd visit him for a while." _Plus I needed to get away from my hometown for a while, _Daisuke mentally added.

"Ahh," Nesuke paused for a moment, "Did you warn him you were coming?"

Daisuke assumed a sheepish look, "Umm, no... I decided so suddenly I didn't take time to call and warn him that I'd be dropping in..."

Nesuke just laughed, "That's probably good, he needs someone living with him to remind him to eat occasionally."

"How long has he gone without eating this time?" Daisuke turned serious immediately, he'd had countless arguements with Satoshi about this.

Nesuke recognized the change in Daisuke's attitude immediately, "About four days, he's been working almost nonstop."

Daisuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Back to this are we Sato?" he muttered to himself.

Nesuke raised an eyebrow at the nickname, he was only allowed to call the boss Satoshi because of his status as second in command and a part of his team but this Daisuke seemed to be the only person who could see past all the barriers Satoshi had around him, "So are you going to stay here?" he finally asked after pondering his boss's and Daisuke Niwa's relationship briefly.

"Umm, yeah probably... At least for tonight, if Satoshi doesn't want me here I'll find a hostel or something."

"Ok," Nesuke glanced at the clock on the wall, "I'd better get going, its almost midnight and I'd like to go to bed soon."

"All right, good night." Daisuke stood up and walked with Nesuke to the door.

"Night Daisuke, take care of Satoshi." Nesuke winked at Daisuke as he left.

Turning around Daiuske faced a once again empty room, _guess I'll sleep on the couch its better than the floor and I really doubt if Satoshi would appreciate waking up to find someone else in his bed._ Running a hand through his hair again Daisuke sighed, it was going to get interesting tommorrow morning when Satoshi woke up.

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><p>AN: Wow, that was one long chapter... One of my longest in fact... wow.

Leave me a review and let me know what you think please,

^_^ KB


	4. Tangled Fool

Satoshi stared, and stared, and stared some more finally deciding he wasn't hallucinating and that it wasn't just his usual morning fog clouding his mind, there really _was_ someone sleeping on the couch. All he could see was a lump of blankets, and a single tuft of red hair sticking straight out of a crack in the blanket.

Glancing at the couch again Satoshi couldn't help but wonder, _is it even alive?_ Stepping closer Satoshi reached cautiously for the blankets, carefully pulling them back to reveal more red hair… _That hair seems awfully familiar…_

"… Ungh….five more minutes…." The sleeping figure rolled over snuggling into the warmth of the blankets pulling them around him tighter.

"DAISUKE?" Satoshi's shocked shout caused the sleeping Daisuke to sit bolt up-right, nearly hitting Satoshi in the nose in the process.

Daisuke blinked several times before simply saying, "Morning Sato." He stretched and yawned rubbing his eyes.

"Daisuke? How? When?" Satoshi could feel a headache coming on as he tried to sort through his fuzzy memories of the night before… Sitting on the edge of the couch he looked at Daisuke expectant of an answer.

"I uh… umm, you know just kind of let myself in last night…" Daisuke blushed as Satoshi caught on to what he was implying.

"You broke into my apartment?" One of the bluenette's eyebrows arched, this was quite the unexpected visit.

"Umm, I guess you could call it that… I thought I'd come by for a visit but you weren't home so I uh, well let myself in and umm…" Daisuke paused unsure of how to continue, "a friend of yours, Nesuke, showed up with you unconscious and uh… I figured I might as well stay until morning… You know, just to make sure you were ok…"

"And Nesuke didn't question you're being here?" Satoshi felt worried, his second in command was slipping.

"Ah…actually, we uh… may have had a small misunderstanding…" Daisuke shrank back from the bluenette's stony expression, "I shouldn't have come unannounced, I'm sorry Sato…"

"It's ok; I just didn't expect to find someone sleeping on my couch that's all." Satoshi smiled at his worrying red headed friend, "I'm actually glad you're here, it gives me reason to take off for a couple of days and catch up on my rest."

"Are you sure it's ok? I mean I don't want to take up your vacation time, and I can probably find somewhere else to stay if you…" Daisuke stopped talking when he saw the expression on Satoshi's face, a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

"Since you're here already and I had intended to take some time off and come visit you back home."

"Oh…"

"Why don't you go shower and get dressed, I'll make us breakfast." Satoshi stood up headed for the kitchen dissappearing around the corner, his stomach grumbling from inattention.

"Ok, I'll be right back." Daisuke struggled to untangle himself from the cocoon of blankets he'd somehow wrapped himself in, falling on the floor with a thud, "Ow..."

Satoshi appeared back around the corner concerned for his friend's well-being and nearly died laughing, "Are you ok Daisuke?" was all he managed to choke out before bursting into laughter. Somehow Daisuke had managed to land up-side-down in a pile with the blankets and his feet were sticking out of the top of the bundle while his head had completely dissappeared. It was highly amusing

"-yeah-" came the muffled reply.

"Do you need help?"

"-um...yeah I don't think I can do this by myself-"

Satoshi moved over to the pile of blankets surrounding Daisuke and started untangling him. Once Daisuke was blanket free and right-side-up Satoshi put the blankets back on the couch and headed back for the kitchen shaking his head in amazement at the younger man's uncanny ability to do such silly stunts.

"I'll be out in a minute, ok Sato?" Daisuke grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom to take a fast shower and change.

"All right, breakfast will be up soon." Satoshi heard the bathroom door close and when it did he felt the prominent thought came to mind, _this is going to get interesting... I've really missed Daisuke, I wonder how things are going for him and Riku now?_ Deciding to ask the red head all about home Satoshi got busy making breakfast.

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><p>Turning on the water to the shower Daisuke grimaced at how big of a fool he had made himself look. <em>I can't believe I fell over like that, Satoshi probably thinks I'm a complete idiot...<em>

Letting the pounding hot water massage the soreness from his shoulders and back Daisuke sighed, _it's going to be a long day..._

Once he was completely clean Daisuke stepped out of the shower, dried himself off and dressed all the while preparing to tell Satoshi everything.

_"Hey Daisuke?" Riku leaned towards him from across the restaraunt table, "Do you love me?" Her eyes filled with curiousity and suspicion_

_"Of course Riku, you know that I love you. Why do you ask?" Daisuke couldn't help but feel a little hurt, Riku knew that he loved her with all his heart, so why had she asked him such an accusing question?_

_"I don't know, its just..." she pause, "Never mind, let's go for a walk." Riku jumped up heading for the door..._

"Daisuke? Are you going to eat with me or are you going to stay in there all day?" Satoshi's sharp voice brought Daisuke out of his memories.

"Ah! Of course," pulling open the door with a sudden movement Daisuke realized only a split second after the cool air hit him that he had forgotten to put on his shirt, "Oops!"

Spinning around he snatched his shirt and pulled it on, but not before blue eyes saw the recent wound in his abdomen, a nasty stitched up gash with bruising in the shape of a boot around it.

"Daisuke..." Satoshi seemed unsure as to what to say.

"Let's eat breakfast! I'm starved!" Daisuke pushed past the bluenette, unwilling to speak about the painful wounds.

"Ok," Satoshi decided his bubbly friend would tell all in time until then, he could wait.

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><p>AN: I like reviews, especially if people leave them for me... So be kind and do this author a favor and tell me what you think. ^_^ KB


	5. Uneasy Topics

Satoshi tried to think of an unobtrusive way to ask Daisuke what had happened to him, if he wasn't mistaken the wound he had seen was a knife wound, and a fairly deep one at that.

The bubbly red head had been entertaining Satoshi with stories from his family for an hour now, and he was avoiding the subject of Riku like the plague.

_I wonder what happened, I would have thought he'd been gushing over her about how perfect she is and how great things are between them, but instead he's said almost nothing about her or the other Harada twin._

"…and then Dad fell off the ladder, scaring Mom half to death. It was priceless," Daisuke paused noticing that Satoshi wasn't focused on him, "Satoshi? You in there?"

"Ah, sorry Daisuke, my mind wandered away." Smiling apologetically Satoshi decided to take the plunge, "So how is Miss Riku?" And immediately regretted it, Daisuke seemed to shut down, his expression going from joking and carefree to an unusually sober look.

"She's gone." Daisuke looked down at his hands clearly trying not to cry.

"Gone?" Satoshi was shocked, when Daisuke had settled on his Sacred Maiden it was highly unlikely that the Maiden would just leave him, "Why, what happened Daisuke?"

"She…" Daisuke slumped down bursting into tears, "She broke up with me a few weeks ago."

The blunette was shocked, why in the world would anyone ever leave Daisuke? The guy was probably the nicest person in the world, and when he loved someone he did it with all his heart.

"Daisuke," Satoshi paused to gather his thoughts, "I'm sorry, but did she say why? I mean anyone who would leave you had better have a good reason." _I can't believe it, what happened between them?_

"She found someone else." Daisuke's voice was flat and uncaring like he was detached from the world around him. _Found someone else? Who? Who could possibly rival Daisuke in love,_ Satoshi paused in his thoughts, _unless it was for money. I know Daisuke's family isn't the richest and_ _a student artist isn't going to make much but still… _

Satoshi impulsively took Daisuke's hands in his, "Daisuke, it's going to be ok. You can stay here for as long as you need and if there's anything else you need to tell me just say it."

It took a few moments for Daisuke to respond, "Thanks Satoshi, it means a lot to me." Smiling at Satoshi the red head carefully pulled one hand out of Satoshi's grip, and placed it on top of his blue haired friend.

"I have only one question I need to ask you," Satoshi hesitated this probably wasn't the best thing to ask an already upset Daisuke but he needed to know, "Where did you get that wound in your side?"

The reaction he got was definitely not what he expected, Daisuke jerked pulling his hands out of Satoshi's and looked away, "That's not something I really want to discuss right now."

"Daisuke I…" Satoshi felt a little surprised at Daisuke's reaction he was about to continue when his phone rang interrupting what he was about to say.

Standing up Satoshi crossed the room to where his phone sat on the counter vibrating, "Hiwatari here," Satoshi listened to the voice on the other end of the phone for several minutes, "Got it; I'll be there in five."

Turning back around to Daisuke, or rather where Daisuke had been Satoshi only found empty air, "Daisuke?" Satoshi glanced around the kitchen.

Stepping out into the living room Satoshi noticed that the window to the fire escape was open; _he's gotten faster and quieter too; I didn't even notice him open the window. _

Stepping up to it Satoshi peered outside to see Daisuke perched precariously on the railing looking out at the city. As he was climbing out the window Satoshi drew up short when a ray of sun light hit Daisuke, illuminating him clearly.

Daisuke's paint splattered black jeans, the white button up shirt and vibrant red hair made a drastic contrast between him and the dim grey city surrounding him. The sight made Satoshi's breath hitch slightly.

Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it Satoshi figured an apology would be the best way to patch things up, "Daisuke, I'm sorry if I upset you."

"It's ok; it's just still such a fresh wound I don't want to talk about it right now."

"It's all right; I understand, but I've got to go, I'm on call and there's been an emergency. Just make yourself comfortable, ok?" Satoshi put a hand on Daisuke's shoulder before turning away to go back inside.

"I'll see you later then." Daisuke continued staring out at the city around him while Satoshi walked away.


	6. Painful Memories and Deep Thoughts

_-The men surrounded him, there were six of them; several carried baseball bats, and all of them were very drunk, he could smell the alcohol on them._

_Their raucous jeers echoed in his ears, "Hey pretty boy, you're looking a little lost there." The group laughed. It was getting dark, and he had just been dumped by Riku and Daisuke was wandering around town rather aimlessly. _

_Unfortunately though his feet had taken him into the worst part of town, "N-no I'm just heading home," Daisuke had tried to continue walking, but his path had been blocked by two heavies each with a bat over their shoulder, "Excuse me please."_

"_Look boys, the ginger don't want to stay and play." One of them taller men moved forward leering drunkenly. He tried to put his arm around Daisuke, causing Daisuke to back right into another one. The man's arms were around him to fast for him to react and-_

"AGGH!" Daisuke let out a terrified scream and bolted up right, falling off the couch he had fallen asleep on. That dream, no nightmare, had plagued his mind ever since that night had happened, when he had been attacked. Glancing around Daisuke realized the sun was setting already, and Satoshi wasn't back yet.

Shivering Daisuke looked around him, _I guess I fell asleep drawing again I'm glad Satoshi isn't back yet he'd ask unnecessary questions,_ the open sketchbook and pencil's on the floor made him sigh. Picking up the book Daisuke noticed he had been working on a sketch of Satoshi sitting at the dining table.

_Huh, I don't remember starting this, _shrugging it off as sleepiness Daisuke cleaned up the living room to a degree. As he cleaned Daisuke noticed that the untidiness in the room wasn't as bad as he had originally assumed, it was just all the paper work scattered everywhere that was disorienting.

After almost an hour of cleaning the living room looked good, as long as you didn't notice the stacks of paper in the corner. _Who knew Satoshi would have so much paper work lying around?_ Daisuke shrugged again, _oh well, I hope he doesn't mind my going through it._

Moving on to the kitchen Daisuke surveyed the mess before him, used dishes were in small heaps on the counters, the sink was full of dirty plates and utensils. _You'd think Satoshi would keep better house than this, but then again guessing from the amount of paper work that was strewn everywhere he is kinda busy… I probably shouldn't have come…I feel bad…_

"Thinking deep thoughts are we Daisuke?"

"AHHH!" Daisuke jumped and turned around to face the bluenette nonchalantly leaning against the kitchen doorframe, "Satoshi! When did you get here?" Daisuke was surprised; it seemed that he wasn't the only one who could appear suddenly out of nowhere.

"I just got home," Satoshi smiled at his friend, "How was your day?"

"Um, good I guess." Daisuke rubbed his spiky head shifting nervously.

"Well that's a relief; would you like to meet my friends?"

"Sure, when?"

"We're supposed to meet them in an hour at the Sakura Bar & Grill; we'll be having dinner there most likely." Satoshi walked out of the kitchen headed for his room to change clothes.

"All right, err… Satoshi?" Daisuke glanced down at himself, "Do I have time for a quick shower?" He hadn't realized how dirty he had gotten, then again he was wearing white, but the dust had seemingly settled on him and somehow he had gotten a stain of red paint on his side again.

"Of course you can, I've got to wrap up some paper work so you go ahead." Satoshi glanced around the now clean living room, "Daisuke? Did you clean in here?" The bluenette seemed surprised that his new roommate had cleaned up the living room so well.

"Uh, yeah I hope that it's ok…" Daisuke paused halfway across the room to his suitcase unsure if Satoshi was all right with his cleaning spree.

"It looks good," Satoshi turned to face the worried red head, "Thank you."

Daisuke grinned, "No problem, it needed it."

"Better go hit the shower Daisuke, it's getting late."

"Right." Daisuke grabbed his clothes as Satoshi vanished into his bedroom.

Closing the bathroom door Daisuke stripped, wincing when the movement stretched still healing bruises and the stab wound.

_I look horrible, _grimacing at his pale reflection in the mirror Daisuke counted the still visible bruises on him, _ten that I can still see. It's getting better than it was; originally my entire body was black and blue now they're finally fading._

Stepping into the hot shower he winced once as the water hit the wound in his side before cleaning up, _I wonder what Satoshi's friend's are like…_

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><p>AN: I'd like to thank the people who've reviewed, arigato my friends.

^_^ KB


	7. Time To Meet the Family

Satoshi had just walked into his bedroom after Daisuke had hit the shower when his phone buzzed; opening it he found a text message.

/Yo_, Commander, where are you? –DK/_

Sighing Satoshi typed back, /_I'm still at my apartment, I'll be there in thirty. –HS/_

_/If you say so, if you're not here in thirty we'll come looking for you. –DK/_

Looking around his small room at the impersonal belongings around him Satoshi sighed; _I really need to get some decorations in here, it's so bare. _As he was changing his clothes to something a little more suitable for the evening ahead Satoshi decided he would take some time to go shopping and find some décor that would be suitable… _Maybe I should take Daisuke with me; he'd probably like the challenge of decorating my apartment._

Once fresh jeans, a crisp grey shirt, and practical tennis shoes were pulled on Satoshi stepped back out into the living room. Glancing at the still closed bathroom door Satoshi sighed, _should have know Daisuke would take a long shower,_ crossing the small room he knocked on the door.

"Daisuke, are you almost ready?" Satoshi called through the door.

"-Yeah, yeah" Daisuke pulled open the door and stepped out into the living room forcing Satoshi to step backwards.

Satoshi examined his friend, the same black jeans only with this time he wore a dark red t-shirt that was just a few shades darker than his hair. A towel was draped over his shoulders with which he was vigorously rubbing his hair, and bare feet tapped the floor.

"Err, Satoshi? Is there something wrong? You're staring at me."

"Hmm?" Satoshi snapped his gaze back to Daisuke's face, "Nothing's wrong other than you taking forever in the shower." Satoshi could have hit himself _that came out way to hateful._

Daisuke looked hurt at Satoshi's words, "I'm almost ready." He turned away sharply putting the towel in the hamper behind him and stalking past Satoshi he grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch and headed for the door.

"I'm sorry Daisuke I didn't mean to sound so rude." Satoshi turned to face him and ran a hand through his blue hair feeling extremely exasperated with himself. _Why did I snap at him? It's not like its going to do anything but drive him away from me…_

Daisuke just shrugged and avoided looking Satoshi in the eyes, "I know Satoshi, I know."

Satoshi moved over to where Daisuke stood by the door putting his hand on the red heads shoulder. "I'm sorry Daisuke; work has been getting to me lately."

Daisuke turned to face Satoshi squarely; warm ruby eyes met icy blue holding them firmly, "Satoshi, its ok. I understand how hard it is on you, you're stressed because your work is extremely dangerous and you desperately need a break and I probably shouldn't have come here without warning you first. And if I'm right you're on hard times right now, did you have a fire? Or a flood?"

Daisuke leaned back against the front door as he examined his friend's reactions, _I hope I didn't overstep my bounds..._

Satoshi was stunned; he hadn't expected Daisuke to understand his situation quite so well, "Daisuke I…" Satoshi paused unsure of what to say to his closest friend that would tell him how he really felt when a thin finger was placed gently on his lips, effectively silencing him.

"Satoshi, it's ok you don't have to say anything." Daisuke smiled at his clearly exhausted friend, "Do you still want to go to meet your friends? Or do you want to just stay here and rest?"

"We should go; I think I'll be fine." Satoshi smiled slightly at Daisuke feeling like he had probably just missed his chance.

"Are you sure?" Daisuke looked worried for his blue haired friend.

"Yeah, we should go before they decide to bring an army looking for us." Satoshi put his arm around Daisuke and gave him a quick half hug before opening the front door and they headed out into the evening.

They had reached the Sakura Bar & Grill, an old hole in the wall bar. Daisuke ran a critical eye over the front of the building, the brick walls were cracked in places, the mortar was chipped away in some parts, and an old worn wooden door was all that separated the two worlds of drunkenness and sobriety.

Satoshi pushed open the door and a wave of sound and smoke rolled out to greet them. Daisuke followed Satoshi into the crowded room glancing around at the people within it. There was a long bar on one side of the room were a bartender stood polishing a row of glasses and taking orders.

There were couples and groups of boisterous friends out for a drink on a Saturday night. They sat at small round tables in groups of three or four, their chairs clustered together.

Satoshi carefully guided Daisuke to the back of the room where a group of four people sat.

Daisuke took in their details; he immediately recognized Nesuke, who sat in the middle of the table he was wearing another dark red t-shirt and straight black jeans.

One of the remaining three was a fair haired woman sitting on the right hand side of the table dressed in a black t-shirt with a pair of holey jeans.

The second man had shaggy, dirty blonde hair, his clothing was ratty; an old t-shirt with the sleeves cut off and pair of ripped jeans made him seem wild and untamed.

The fourth man was completely bald; his crisp button up shirt and slacks were in sharp contrast to the rest of the group.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't our dear Commander Hiwatari Satoshi." The woman stood, showing off her long legs, "We didn't think you'd make it."

"Darli, I'd never miss a chance to be teased by you." Satoshi grinned at the group seated at the table then he turned and forced Daisuke to stand in front of him to introduce him to his friends, "Everyone, this is Daisuke Niwa, my child hood friend. He dropped in on me yesterday and is going to be staying with me for the next two months. Daisuke, this is Darli Kemah, Aiyo Denma," Satoshi pointed to the shaggy blonde, "and Shander Niske our resident egg head."

"Hey now, that was uncalled for." Shander shook an admonishing finger at Satoshi playfully, "I didn't call you our resident smurf now did I?"

The group laughed at Satoshi's scowl as he and Daisuke sat down, Daisuke was on Nesuke's right, Satoshi on Shander's left.

"Daisuke should've known you were the mystery guest Satoshi mentioned he was bringing." Nesuke grinned at Daisuke, "I take it he didn't kick you out the instant he found you yesterday morning?"

"Yeah, well I thought he was going to for a few minutes when I first woke up but he didn't." Daisuke laughed, _I'm still wondering if he's going to tell me to get lost after what happened earlier._

"So, Daisuke, what do you do?" Darli leaned across the table to talk to Daisuke.

"Well, I'm studying the fine arts at my hometown college." Daisuke was swept into conversation with the group feeling right at home.

"Satoshi, how did you two become friends?" Aiyo poked the bluenette in the side playfully.

"We met in middle school, and just kind of bonded." Satoshi answered in the vaguest manner he could without arousing any more questions.

Daisuke asked about how they all knew each other and Shander answered, "We're all on the same S.W.A.T. team, so we are pretty close in some ways more than others."

"Ah, well, let's order ourselves a round and get roaring drunk." Nesuke yelled to the bartender across the room that they wanted a round of something strong.

And so the group chatted and drank until the bar was about to close. When the group finally broke up around one in the morning everyone was at least slightly drunk, if not completely drunk as was the case with Darli and Daisuke who had been drunk after the third drink.

On the way home Satoshi supported Daisuke as they stumbled their way up the apartment stairs. Once inside the small apartment Satoshi helped Daisuke into the bedroom where they both collapsed for the remainder of the night to sleep.

As the Daisuke snuggled closer to Satoshi's warmth, Satoshi thought to himself; _I wish I could hold him forever._

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><p>AN: This was an interesting chapter to write, I couldn't decide how far to take the drama so I hope I didn't overdo anything. ^_^ KB


	8. Awkward Awakening

The red head stretched out and bumped into something very warm beside him. Blinking to clear his sleepy eyes Daisuke quickly realized he didn't have a shirt on, and the warm body beside him was Satoshi. _What the? How did I end up here? _

Scratching his spiky head as he glanced around Satoshi's bedroom Daisuke shrugged and snuggled back into the blankets while he tried to sort through the foggy memories of the night before. _I remember going to the bar and meeting Satoshi's team then what?_

A low groan reminded him of the other presence in the bed as Satoshi rolled over onto Daisuke, throwing an arm around Daisuke's stomach and chest. The red head's face quickly matched his hair at the intimate position the two were now in, especially when he realized Satoshi wasn't wearing a shirt either.

_Uh-oh, this is going to get awkward, should I push him off?_ _But that might wake him up and I really don't want him to wake up, maybe I could feign sleep…_

Daisuke winced as Satoshi snuggled into his side, pressing in on the not-quite healed stab wound, _ah…_ _ouch no, that's not comfortable but then again…_ Daisuke brought himself up short, there was absolutely _no_ way Satoshi would ever see him as more than an annoying friend who showed up at really awkward times.

He grimaced as a wave of pain coursed through him and decided he'd have to figure out how to move without Satoshi waking up. Daisuke tried to slide out from under his blue haired friend by carefully lifting his arm up, only to have Satoshi wrap his leg around the red head's legs effectively pinning him down.

_Erk, this isn't going to be good if Satoshi wakes up now. _Daisuke figured his face was about three shades darker than his hair, if that was even possible. _Man this is bad, I wonder what Dark would have said about this situation…_

Daisuke blanched at the mere thought of what the phantom thief would have had to say, none of it would have been appropriate. _I miss Dark, but at times like this I'm actually grateful he's not here anymore._

"Mmm," Daisuke froze as Satoshi seemingly woke up, _I'm doomed…_

The bluenette lifted his head to find a _very_ red Daisuke trying his hardest not to move, "Daisuke?" Satoshi murmured still to groggy to fully realize the position he was in.

"Morning Satoshi." Daisuke squeaked out a nervous reply.

"You ok Daisuke?" Satoshi realized why Daisuke was so red as soon as the words left his mouth. The position they were in was extremely intimate, and neither male had a shirt on, not to mention how Satoshi's legs were wrapped around Daisuke.

After several moments of awkward silence Daisuke finally got the nerve to ask, "Err, are you going to move?"

Satoshi started, he'd been enjoying the warmth and comfort in snuggling with Daisuke, "Ah, of course." He quickly pulled himself off Daisuke who sat up rubbing his side.

Satoshi blushed uncharacteristically when he looked away from his friend but as Daisuke stood up Satoshi realized that the red headed young man's wound was right where Satoshi had been laying, _oops._

Before Satoshi could say anything else his phone rang, picking it up off the night stand where it had been dropped he flipped it open to answer it.

"Hiwatari speaking." He listened to the urgent voice on the other side for a moment, "Yes, yes, I'll be there in fifteen." He snapped the phone shut with a huff and turned to face the still red, red head, "Daisuke, I'm sorry, but there's been an emergency at work and I've got to go." Satoshi got up and grabbed a shirt and pants from the wardrobe leaving Daisuke in the large bed by himself.

"Sure, go save the world Sato…" Daisuke muttered then grimaced as a wave of pain racked his side, glancing down he realized his wound was trying to reopen.

"I'll be back later," Satoshi turned back around to face Daisuke as he shrugged on a black t-shirt with S.W.A.T. on the front and back in big white letters.

"All right, I'm going to go shower, maybe it'll help the headache I've got." Daisuke practically ran out of the room, his hand to his side.

_Is he bleeding?_ Satoshi could have sworn he saw a trickle of blood coming from Daisuke's side. _I hope he's all right._

As Satoshi left he heard the shower come on, and a small yelp from Daisuke. Shaking his head Satoshi left, not for a minute thinking that anything was the matter with his closest friend, and secret love.

Daisuke turned on the shower and stripped down to his boxers before he looked at his flushed reflection in the cracked mirror trying to stifle the tears of pain as his wound reopened. The blood was coming out faster than he had originally thought, staining his side the same color as his wild hair, the hand he'd had to his side to keep Satoshi from noticing the bloody wound was dripping with blood.

_This is bad; I'm going to have to do something to stop the bleeding before I pass out._ Daisuke riffled through the bathroom cabinet in hopes of finding a first aid kit, _nothing here dammit._ Daisuke swore angrily as he felt the first wave of nausea, slumping to the floor the bleeding red head started to cry slightly.

_I've got to find the first aid kit. _Struggling to his feet Daisuke staggered out of the bathroom leaving the water running.

_Let's see, in the kitchen maybe?_ Daisuke pressed his already bloody hand to his side in hopes of the blood stopping as he rifled through the kitchen cabinets.

"Aha!" After a bit of searching Daisuke located the small white box with a big red cross on top, taking it to the bathroom Daisuke opened the lid and pulled out a big white rolled up bandage.

Gingerly wrapping it around his wound multiple times he winced as the stabbing pain grew steadily worse. Once his side was bound Daisuke remembered to turn off the water and pulled on his ratty sweat pants before going into the small living room; practically collapsing onto the couch, too tired and weak from the loss of blood to care that the bathroom floor was covered in blood and the first aid kit was still open on the counter.

As Daisuke drifted off to sleep a thought crossed his mind,_ why was I shirtless in Satoshi's bed? I can't remember what happened after we left the bar…_

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><p>AN; Thanks to the people who've been leaving me reviews I've been super motivated to get each chapter out there. ^_^ KB


	9. Revelations At Last

The sun was setting as the bluenette climbed the stairs leading into the old, dilapidated, apartment complex. _I really need to find a better place to live; I wonder how Daisuke's day was…_

Images of the night before flashed through his head, -_Daisuke was sprawled out on the couch too drunk to care and Satoshi had just come out of the bathroom after taking a cold shower, he was only wearing a pair of old sweat pants and a towel draped over his head as he rubbed his hair dry. Daisuke had been so tempting, just lying there, but Satoshi knew the red head was partially awake so he had tried to ignore him. _

_Unfortunately Daisuke had grabbed Satoshi's wrist as he had walked past causing the bluenette to lose his balance and end up in Daisuke's lap. Daisuke had his left arm around Satoshi's shoulders and the right was still holding onto Satoshi's wrist, "Um, Daisuke… Do you mind?" Satoshi fought to keep a blank face as the red head shifted so Satoshi was no longer hanging off the couch quite so much._

"_Don't leave me Sato, please…" Daisuke hugged Satoshi tighter than the bluenette figured was humanly possible. The red head laid down on the couch with Satoshi pinned under his arm, holding him close._

"_Daisuke…" Satoshi carefully wrapped his arms around his slender friend, pulling him closer, "I'll never leave you Daisuke. I swear," Satoshi cautiously snuggled in, wrapping his arms around the red head's waist and shoulders.-_

Satoshi sighed; he had finally made it to the third floor. Opening the door to his apartment the bluenette wandered in, still thinking about the night before.

_-somehow they had both wound up on the bed laughing at some joke Daisuke had cracked about Dark and Krad, it had been an hour or so since they had snuggled on the couch and Daisuke seemed about ready to pass out even though Satoshi was still wide awake but he felt content to watch his friend sleep.-_

"Daisuke?" Satoshi rushed across the small, dimly lit room to where Daisuke lay on the couch unconscious. A small pool of dried blood was beside him, the bandage wrapped around the red head's abdomen was soaked through.

"Daisuke, wake up!" Satoshi felt a wave of panic threaten to overwhelm him when the young man didn't respond to his rough shake, "Daisuke, I said wake up!" Satoshi shook Daisuke again.

"Ngh…" ruby eyes opened a fraction, and met wide, panicked, cerulean eyes. "Sato-shi?" Daisuke coughed wincing as the movement sent waves of pain and nausea passed through him.

"Daisuke, thank the gods." Satoshi let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, "I thought you had died and left me alone."

"I'm sorry," ruby eyes filled with shimmering tears threatening to fall at any moment, "I'm sorry Sato." Daisuke wrapped his arms around his friend and let the tears fall were they may. Satoshi carefully lifted Daisuke so he could sit down with the red head in his lap away from the blood.

"Daisuke…" stroking the spiky red mass Satoshi hesitated before placing a carefully measured kiss on the top of his friend's head, just barely brushing it.

After a few minutes the sobs died away to little whimpers and eventually faded entirely. Satoshi rubbed Daisuke's back calming the sniffling red head down some more. Daisuke realized he was completely in Satoshi's lap and that the bluenette didn't seem to mind at all.

"Satoshi, I'm sorry I…" Daisuke choked up again as he lifted his head to try and meet his friend's gaze.

"It's ok Daisuke, I understand. It's going to be ok." A hand gently ran through Daisuke's hair causing his breath to catch slightly, "Daisuke?"

"Yeah?" A crimson blush was working its way onto the red head's face.

"I'm going to move, I've got to go get the first aid kit and bandage your wound again." Satoshi cradled Daisuke and began to stand when his legs gave out.

"Whoa!" Daisuke hung on for dear life as the bluenette tipped backwards onto the couch.

"Oof, sorry Daisuke, guess my blood sugar plummeted again." Satoshi mumbled as the red head squirmed trying to make the best of their now odd position. Daisuke was draped across Satoshi's lap with his arms around the bluenette's neck and his mouth by Satoshi's ear.

"It's ok Satoshi, I can walk myself…" Daisuke's voice trailed off as he pressed an ear to Satoshi's neck and heard the rapid heartbeat.

"Daisuke, I… uh… I can explain…" Satoshi felt slightly embarrassed.

"Sato?" Daisuke pulled back from his friend to study his face, "Can I ask you something?"

"Umm, sure." Satoshi was working hard on not blushing, _he's gonna be disgusted with me… oh man I knew it wouldn't work…_

"Can I kiss you?"

"I understand you- Wait what?" Satoshi felt confused, _did he seriously just ask me if he could, kiss me?_

"Can I kiss you?" Ruby eyes full of emotions met confused cerulean.

"Um, yes?" Satoshi felt utterly bewildered, _does he like me?_

"Good," Daisuke leaned forward and carefully pressed his mouth to Satoshi's in a soft kiss. After a minute or so both boys pulled away for breath and Daisuke decided to take the plunge, "Satoshi, I realized something when I came here." he paused unsure if he should continue, "I realized that, I had fallen for you. I don't know why but you fascinate me I... I love you." Ruby eyes closed ready for rejection.

"Daisuke I have to confess," Satoshi drew in a breath before continuing, "I've been in love with you for a very long time... I... I didn't think I could tell you though because well... You were with Riku... and I-"

Daisuke kissed Satoshi again, cutting off whatever words his blue-haired friend was about to say.

"Let's worry about it later, let's enjoy tonight." Daisuke whispered in Satoshi's ear, as he kissed him again.

Breaking away for a moment Satoshi managed to murmer, "All right."

* * *

><p>AN: And that's it for this chapter, sorry it took so long to update but it's been one fiasco after another around here...

Anywho, leave me a review on the way out to let me know what you think of this chapter, ok?

^_^ KB


	10. Him, Late?

"No answer," Nesuke hung up his cell phone feeling concerned that his boss hadn't answered their calls, "Should I try again?" He asked the rest of the team in the small locker room.

Darli leaned against one of rows of grey lockers shaking her head as she lit a cigarette, "This just isn't like him, why doesn't he answer?"

"Dunno, maybe he's overslept." Aiyo shrugged as he sat down on the bench in the middle of the room by Shander.

"Satoshi Hiwatari?" Nesuke's skeptical tone made it clear he didn't think the boss was capable of oversleeping.

"It happens to the best of us at some point in time." Darli flicked the ash off her cigarette, "But then again, sometimes I wonder if the boss is human."

Shander rubbed his head absently as he thought about all the implications that came to mind as he wondered just why the boss hadn't shown up at his usual time. _Usually he shows up by six or seven, no later than seven thirty and that's rare. For him to not show up by eight is unheard of, in fact I don't think it's ever happened before._

"Maybe Daisuke got sick and the boss is taking care of him," Nesuke mused, "But you'd have thought he'd have called to let us know he was going to be late."

"It's entirely possible that the boss is the one who's sick…" Darli paused as she thought about that statement; was it possible for the inhuman Satoshi Hiwatari to become physically ill?

"Why don't we go by his place and see if they're both ok?" Aiyo suggested with a wave of his hand.

"Alright," Nesuke decided it might be for the best that they check on their friend and comrade.

* * *

><p><em>Maybe they'll just go away,<em> Satoshi lay on the bed with his eyes closed listening to someone knocking impatiently at the door. _I don't want to deal with the real world today, it might ruin my mood._

After what seemed an eternity the incessant pounding finally stopped, it meant he didn't have to get up. Opening his eyes he realized that a certain red head was snuggled up against him. _I think I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life right now…_

Closing his eyes again Satoshi drifted back off into sleep, dreaming of everything he and Daisuke would do together from then on, and how perfect things seemed to be falling in place.

* * *

><p>Nesuke and the others had been standing outside Satoshi's apartment for over ten minutes while Shander knocked on the door repeatedly.<p>

"I don't think he's home," Darli shrugged leaning against the wall by the cracked doorframe, "If he is still asleep I don't see how what with all the racket Shander is making."

"Good point," Shander turned to face them, "What should we do now?" The group looked at one another hoping someone had an idea that might not sound ridiculous.

"Aren't you guys curious?" Aiyo grinned at Darli from across the dim hall, "This is like, prime opportunity to learn what our boss likes and dislikes."

Nesuke stared at Aiyo in disbelief, "Are you suggesting we break into our commander's apartment?"

"Yep." Aiyo grinned even bigger as their faces turned from shock to curiousity.

Darli let out a low whistle, she knew Aiyo had guts but to suggest that they break into their superior officer's apartment while he was gone was almost insane.

"Aiyo," Shander shook his head, "how would we even get inside? It's locked."

Aiyo moved up to the door and peered at the lock, "Darli, can I have a bobby pin?"

"What are you going to do with it?" She was curious if the blonde could actually pick a lock.

"Open this door of course." He grinned and Darli thought over their options.

"I suppose, just this once." She glanced at Nesuke as she handed over a bobby pin from her hair, "We can always say we heard something strange in there."

"True," Nesuke sighed in defeat, "but I still don't like it."

"Tada," Aiyo stood up from his kneeling position and opened the door with a small bow, "Now we can go in."

Shaking his head Nesuke followed the rest of the group as they illegally entered the small apartment.

* * *

><p>AN: Oh my, I can't believe how hard it was to write this chapter, as short as it was, I'm sorry it took so long to get out there but life has thrown me some really nasty curves. One of my friends died two weeks ago and it's been a nightmare getting motivated to write anything.

To those who have left reviews: Thank you. The reviews are what made me suck it up and actually write this chapter, so all I can say is thank you.

I hope you all enjoy the story,

^_^ KB


	11. Bloody Discovery

"So this is the mysterious Satoshi Hiwatari's place," Aiyo glanced around the sparsely furnished living room and small kitchen, "I expected it to bigger, and sorta cleaner." He looked to his friend's as they examined the small but cluttered living space.

The couch pillows were piled in a small heap, the coffee table had several overflowing stacks of paperwork and the kitchen table was half buried under even more paperwork.

"It was even worse the other day; my guess is that Daisuke cleaned up the place." Nesuke wandered over and opened the bathroom door to find a gruesome mess, dark blotches of blood coated the floor surrounding the sink, an open first aid kit lay discarded on the counter, and a small pile of bloody bandages lay in crumpled in the floor.

"What the hell?" Nesuke stepped back temporarily repulsed, his action catching Darli's eye.

"What's the matter?" Darli put down the stack of papers she was examining by the couch to move over to where Nesuke sagged against the doorframe. Peering around his giant shoulders she had to suppress an urge to throw up.

"Oh gods," Turning away the blonde woman's thoughts immediately turned to the worst, "Which of them do you think is hurt?"

"I don't know," Nesuke turned around, his face pale, to face Shander and Aiyo who had been examining the kitchen.

"I hope the Commander isn't the one injured," Aiyo seemed nervous that his boss was lying in a hospital somewhere, "but that would explain why he hasn't responded to any of our calls."

That was a sobering thought for the entire group, the blood on the floor was spattered like someone had been trying to stop the bleeding and the bloody bandages on the floor suggested that someone had been wrapped in them temporarily.

"Why don't we check out the bedroom?" Shander asked, "Who knows, it may shed some light on this mystery."

Darli moved away from the bloody bathroom to the closed bedroom door, Aiyo moves to her immediate left while Shander and Nesuke follow behind.

Darli meets Aiyo's eyes briefly before turning to open the bedroom door.

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry that this chapter was a duplicate of chapter nine, thank you to everyone who pointed it out to me.

^_^ KB


	12. Morning Folks!

Darli's hand was on the knob when it turned, not because she was turning it, but because someone was coming out of the bedroom. A shock of red hair was the first thing everyone processed; the second was that Daisuke was shirtless.

His slender frame was surprisingly well muscled; a swath of bandages around his lower abs and a series of nasty bruises covered the pale white skin, ruining the child-like innocence that the group had originally seen in him.

"Good morning." His cool greeting caught everyone off guard for a moment.

"Uh… Morning?" Darli felt that some response was in order, "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, why?" Daisuke stepped out of the bedroom, firmly shutting the door behind him was he raised an inquisitive eyebrow as to why the team was there looking so pale.

Nesuke stepped forward, "Well you see Daisuke, the Commander isn't usually late. In fact he's never been late in his entire career with us and we were wondering if something had happened to him…" His words died away as a fully dressed Satoshi emerged from the bedroom.

"I'm fine thank you." Satoshi favored his team with a small, brittle, smile before turning to Daisuke, "Will you be all right here by yourself today Daisuke?"

"I'll be just fine; you forget who you're talking to Sato." A smile lit up Daisuke's face as he playfully punched his friend in the shoulder. A true smile appeared on Satoshi's face before vanishing as he faced his shocked team.

"Nesuke, Aiyo, Darli, Shander, why are you guys in my apartment? I understand being concerned for my well-being but this is somewhat ridiculous." Satoshi arched an eyebrow as he looked at Nesuke for answers who had stepped forward with his palms up.

"We're here Commander because we were concerned for you. Satoshi, we couldn't contact you at all and you've never been late like this, two minutes maybe but not an hour and a half." Nesuke tried his best to smooth things over so that no one was going to get hurt.

"Nesuke, that doesn't explain why you are in _my_ apartment."

Aiyo spoke up before Nesuke could, "We came because we were concerned about you and when we came in we found the bathroom a bloody mess and assumed the worst. That's the long and short of it."

Satoshi gave each of his team a long look before turning to Daisuke and shrugging in resignation, "They worry too much." The smile he gave his friends then was genuine, "I'm sorry I worried you all but Daisuke needed some assistance last night and we were up almost all night seeing to his wound."

Darli looked at Daisuke who had been standing off to the side unobtrusively, "What happened to you Daisuke? I hate to be blunt but your side looks like hell on a bad day."

"It's nothing," a shadow fell on Daisuke's face and his voice was cold as he turned to go towards the bathroom, "I've had worse and I'll be fine. I'm going to clean up the bathroom and take a shower, see you guys later." With a small wave Daisuke moved into the bathroom and shut the door firmly behind him.

Darli looked back at Satoshi who's expression was a mix of frustration, sadness, and weary resignation, "Satoshi, do you know what happened to him?"

"I know the rough details, but it's still a pretty sore subject for him so I wouldn't press him if I were you." Satoshi folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the wall.

Shander gave Satoshi a critical look, "You make it sound like landing on his bad side is a really bad thing to do."

The bluenette leveled a stare at the other man, "It is indeed a very bad idea to be on his bad side, Daisuke may not look it but he can be very nasty when provoked. I wouldn't press him for details right now, wait a bit and he'll eventually come around to talking."

"If you say so boss." Shander shrugged and turned to leave, "We should get back to HQ, I don't want to miss the action."

With that the entire team headed for the door, time to face the real world.

_**-What happened ten minutes earlier-**_

Daisuke heard a loud hammering on something nearby but dismissed it as he snuggled even closer to the sleeping bluenette beside him. It wasn't until he heard the distinctive creaking of the kitchen floorboards that Daisuke realized they were in trouble, someone was in the apartment.

Sliding out from underneath the covers Daisuke carefully moved to the door and placed an ear to it. He could hear what sounded like, four, no five people moving around the rooms. Scraps of conversation drifted through the door allowing Daisuke to realize that one of the people talking was Nesuke.

A movement behind him told Daisuke that Satoshi had woken up, so he turned around and put a finger to his lips to signal his friend that they had company. A quick nod from the bluenette was all Daisuke needed for conformation that Satoshi understood that they weren't alone.

Turning back to the door Daisuke heard someone say, "...check out the bedroom?" and multiple pairs of feet moved towards the door.

Glancing back at Satoshi who was almost fully dressed Daisuke pulled the door open and quickly stepped through to face the people on the other side.

"Good morning."

* * *

><p>AN: I have a reason for not updating in so long, I haven't had internet access for almost three weeks now so I've been unable to publish anything. Sorry it took me so long, :(

Hope this chapter made up for the wait,

^_^ KB


	13. Interesting Proposition

**A/N:** Here's chapter thirteen for you all to enjoy, hopefully I post the right thing. Sorry bout the delay, and thank you Danielle, I really appreciate the help you've been.

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><p>Daisuke sighed in relief when he heard everyone leave the small apartment; leaning against the wall opposite the mirror he noticed he was rather pale. His side was aching still, and he didn't want to take the bandage off but he knew he needed to see how the wound was doing.<p>

Carefully unwrapping the bandage Daisuke grimaced at the sight underneath it, the area around the wound was mottled purple and blue, the stitches Satoshi had put in the night before were holding better than the ones he'd ripped out.

"Might as well clean this place up." The red-head muttered to himself, glancing around at the trashed bathroom.

As he set to tidying up Daisuke let his thoughts wander, _I can't believe they actually came to see about him. They were genuinely concerned for him, I'm glad he's made such a close group of friends. _

_That Nesuke seems nice; really I think they're all good for Sato. He's lucky to have so many caring people around him. _

As the day wore on Daisuke slowly won the battle against the dirty apartment. He had just collapsed on the couch with his sketchbook doodling aimlessly when Satoshi got home. The bluenette came in and headed straight for the shower, something clearly weighing heavily on his mind.

_ _ / _ _ / _ _

Satoshi had had a really long day, the instant they had gotten back to headquarters they had received a call. It had been a pretty tense standoff but they had gotten most of the hostages out thankfully before the robber lost it completely and they had had to shoot to kill.

As he stood under the shower head letting the steaming water pound into his tense muscles Satoshi thought about the other part of his day.

_-They had just gotten back to headquarters and were debriefing when a man walked in. He was dressed in a very expensive business suit that screamed rich with a small attaché case at his side, his manner seemed to ooze overfriendliness, and his bald head almost shined in the florescent light._

"_Commander Hiwatari?"_

_Satoshi stood up folder in hand, "Yes?"_

"_I need to speak with you privately."_

"_Sure, give me just a moment to wrap this up alright?"_

"_Certainly." The man smiled politely as he turned to sit down outside the conference room._

_Satoshi had wrapped up the meeting with reminders to get the paperwork necessary turned in to him as soon as possible and walked the stranger into his office, "So how can I help you Mr. …?"_

"_Harvey Jones, Mr. Hiwatari." The man sat down in the chair opposite Satoshi's desk making himself comfortable as he sat the case down on the floor with a considerable clunk, "I am in need of your assistance on a, shall we say, highly delicate matter?"_

"_What sort of matter?" Satoshi leaned forward in his chair to study the other man as he spoke._

"_I am representing a client who wishes to remain anonymous at this time but is willing to pay you a considerable sum of money to help him with a little problem." Jones paused to readjust his tie, "Before I continue any further I require your promise not to reveal anything to anyone else."_

"_I won't say anything, however I cannot promise to help your client depending on the problem."_

"_Of course, I understand entirely." Jones cleared his throat, "My client wishes for you to return something to the Edo Tokyo Museum. It was stolen almost half a century ago and now my client would like to see it returned, however, he does not wish it to simply be handed back to the museum but would like it returned the same way it was taken."_

"_So you want a reverse robbery pretty much? Why come to me?" Satoshi was curious as to how this would work, breaking into a place to return a priceless piece of art._

"_My client believes you have contacts that can pull off such a stunt." Satoshi knew immediately what the man was suggesting; whoever "Mr. Jones" was working for knew about Satoshi's chase to catch the Phantom Thief Dark and believed he could contact Dark somehow to request the thief's assistance._

"_I'm not sure I could do that, those 'contacts' would be willing to help me, or you for that matter." Satoshi glared a bit at Mr. Jones._

"_I'm merely asking you to consider it Mr. Hiwatari," Mr. Jones rose, "I'll be back in two days for your answer."_

_With that he left quickly passing Nesuke who plopped down in the recently vacated seat._

"_What did he want Commander?"_

"_A favor and I'm not sure I want to oblige him." Satoshi ran his hands through his hair, unsure what he should do._

"_Oh?" Nesuke raised an eyebrow as he met Satoshi's gaze, "What kind of favor?"_

_Satoshi just looked away and bluntly avoided Nesuke's question, "Have you finished your report of this afternoon's incident?"_

_Nesuke shrugged, if the boss didn't want him to know what was going on then he wouldn't pressure him, "Yeah, I hate paperwork."_

_Satoshi gave him a wry grin, "Me too, I seem to be all but drowning in it lately."-_

Satoshi shut off the water and toweled off still wondering if he should or shouldn't broach the subject of Mr. Jones' proposal with Daisuke.

As he got dressed Satoshi came to a decision, he'd tell Daisuke what he knew, and then they would decide what to do from there.


	14. Don't Touch the Tools

Daisuke looked up as the bathroom door creaked open and emitted a billowing cloud of steam as Satoshi stepped into the living room. Daisuke watched as Satoshi took in his surroundings and how clean they were, he watched as the bluenette noted the stacks of organized paperwork on the desk and the clean dishes on the drain board.

"Daisuke, you didn't have to clean. Thank you though," Satoshi smiled at the red head that was sprawled out on the couch, "I really appreciate it."

"It was no problem," Daisuke grinned, "you get to make dinner though. I'm beat."

Satoshi laughed, "Of course." He moved into the kitchen and heard Daisuke get off the couch to join him.

"So what's bothering you Sato?"

Satoshi sighed; of course Daisuke had noticed his preoccupation. He turned around to look his friend in the eyes. "A man approached me today with a proposition, he is apparently representing an unknown client who wishes an item returned to the Edo Tokyo Museum, and he wants it done with a dramatic flair."

Daisuke cut straight to the chase, "They want Dark don't they?"

Satoshi just nodded, "I think so, its no secret that I was the main person behind the efforts to capture Dark."

"And you aren't sure what to do." It wasn't a question, Daisuke smiled as he leaned against the door way, "I'll do it, nothing too flashy like what Dark would have done, but I can do something for this mystery client."

"It would be very risky Daisuke, not to mention it could be a trap."

"I know, but you forget I learned the art of burglary from the very best." The red head left abruptly.

"Daisuke?" Satoshi followed his friend into the bedroom to watch him open his suitcase.

"I'm checking to see what tools I have available."

"Oh," Satoshi paused as Daisuke's words sank in, "why would you have any tools with you? Were you planning on stealing something while you where here?"

Daisuke grinned sheepishly, "Maybe…"

"Daisuke!" Satoshi looked scandalized that his friend would even consider stealing something while with his friend.

"Sorry, old habits die hard Sato, besides, I like being prepared." Daisuke ducked his head as Satoshi playfully swung at him.

"Am I that boring to be with?" Satoshi teased his friend lightly.

"No! I just don't like not having my tools; they come in handy if I lock myself out of someplace." Daisuke blushed bright red.

"Or if you feel attracted to special piece of art." Satoshi smirked.

"Satoshi!" Daisuke turned bright pink before muttering something under his breath and turned around again only to be tackled from behind and tickled mercilessly.

After a small tickle war the two lay side by side on the bed out of breath and still giggling.

"Seriously though Daisuke, do you think you could do it?" Satoshi turned on his side to look at his fiery friend.

"I don't think I could do it Sato," Daisuke paused, "I know I could." He grinned at his blue haired friend.

Satoshi cracked a grin and nodded, "If you're sure."

"I'd appreciate a little more information before I agree completely though, and you should make sure if they're paying you to get half the money up front. Otherwise we could find ourselves holding the bag with no pay."

"Alright, I'll make sure," Satoshi's phone went off suddenly startling both of them.

With a sigh he rolled over and picked it up off his dresser where he had dropped it, "Nesuke wants to know if we're up for dinner and drinks with him tonight."

"Sure, where at?"

"Hold on." Satoshi sent a message asking where his friend wanted to meet, "He says the new Italian place that opened up just last week in Shiori Square."

"Italian sounds good, why not? Plus I like Nesuke."

"Ok, seven o'clock sound alright?"

"Sure, I've got to shower first."

"Alright, I'll let him know while you do that."

Daisuke smiled and slipped off the bed to grab his clothes and go shower, "I'll be back in a couple, don't touch my tools."

"Yes dear." Satoshi stuck out his tongue at Daisuke who had noticed his friend eyeballing his special tool kit.

_Another time perhaps,_ Satoshi thought as he watched his friend hurry on to the bathroom to clean up before standing up and rifling through his meager wardrobe for something suitable to wear.

After a good bit of deliberation he finally chose a pair of black jeans and a plain white long-sleeved shirt. By the time he had dressed and was ready to go Daisuke was out of the bathroom dressed and looking sharp in a fitted long sleeve cream colored shirt and black pants.

"I feel so plain compared to you Daisuke." Satoshi gently elbowed his friend in the side.

Daisuke grimaced slightly, "Ouch that was my bad side Sato."

"Sorry!" Satoshi panicked slightly, he had forgotten all about Daisuke's side "Are you alright?"

Daisuke gave his friend a small smile, "I'm alright so long as you don't go about jabbing me in the side."

"Shall we?" Satoshi gestured for Daisuke to lead the way out of the apartment.

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><p>The restaurant was packed when they got there; thankfully, Nesuke had managed to get them a table at the back of the room where they were set into a little alcove.<p>

The big man waved them over, a grin on his face and a drink already in his hand, "Satoshi, Daisuke, hope you guys are up for some good food. This place is fabulous; I've been here once before."

Daisuke just smiled as the big guy gestured for them to sit and waved a hovering waiter over to order.

"If you two don't mind I'll order for us all." Nesuke turned to the waiter without waiting for an answer, "We'll have three orders of the sautéed red snapper with a red pimento sauce and a bottle of Dolcetto please."

Once Nesuke had finished ordering he turned back to face the boys, "I think you guys will enjoy the snapper, it's quite good."

"If you say so Nesuke." Daisuke gave a small laugh, "Obviously we are in the hands of an expert Sato."

Satoshi snorted, "I suppose so," he shared a glance with Daisuke who giggled slightly, "So what's the occasion Nesuke?"

"Does there have to be one?"

"I suppose not." A comfortable silence descended as the three waited for their meal.

When the wine arrived Daisuke stood up, "I'd like to propose a toast," he looked at his friends, "to friends, new and old, may we be friends for years to come."

With that Satoshi and Nesuke gave a small cheer and raised their glasses to drink.

The evening passed amicably as the three shared stories and swapped humorous childhood tales.

On the way home Satoshi and Daisuke reminisced about old times, "Hey Sato, remember when you dressed as a girl to try to capture Dark?"

"How could I forget?" Satoshi chuckled and glanced at his slender friend.

"I was wondering," Daisuke paused, "would you have actually kissed him?"

Satoshi thought for a moment, "If I had believed it would have been to my advantage then yes, I would have."

"Really?" Daisuke looked surprised.

"Only if it would have helped me achieve my goal." Satoshi grinned, "Why, are you jealous?"

Daisuke punched him lightly in the arm, "No, I was just curious silly."

Back in the apartment they got ready for bed, "Night Satoshi." Daisuke muttered as he curled up on one side of the bed already almost asleep.

"Night Daisuke."

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><p><strong>AN: **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, once again my thanks to Danielle for helping me out by being an awesome researcher. With any luck I'll update again soon, by the way, what should I name this chapter?

^_^ KB


	15. Planning Time

"_It all depends on what it is they want returned, if it's something small it should be an easy job, if it's too big I could have problems." Daisuke looked up briefly from the coffee table where a slew of maps of the museum layout lay scattered. _

_-"If it's small enough I may just walk in during a crowded time and drop it off in front of a major artwork, if its too big I may have to wait until after hours to get a little more creative with the return."_

"_I see, how creative are we talking?" Satoshi sat down beside Daisuke and looked over his shoulder at one of the maps._

"_If it comes down to it I may require a diversion of some sort."-_

Satoshi's office door opened with a small creak and his head snapped up to watch as Mr. Jones came in.

"Ah, Mr. Jones, I was beginning to think you had changed your mind and weren't going to come back." Satoshi motioned for him to sit down as he settled himself back into his chair.

Mr. Jones sat down on the edge of his chair and looked expectantly at Satoshi, "Have you decided Mr. Hiwatari?"

"Yes, but before my contact agrees to assist you he would like to know what it is he's returning and how much you are willing to pay him for his services."

"Of course, my client is willing to pay one million yen in exchange for your contact's services one half paid up front."

Satoshi leaned back as he twirled a pen considering the offer, "Do you have the money?"

"Of course, my client would like the job done as soon as possible, preferably before the annual celebration."

Mr. Jones reached for the suitcase beside him and opened it so Satoshi could see the contents, "Five hundred thousand yen, and the necklace of the Blue Moon Rose."

Inside the suitcase beside the stacks of yen lay a beautiful necklace of pure silver, its thin chain delicately settled on tissue paper, for the center piece; a tiny blue diamond placed in a rose of silver no bigger than Satoshi's thumb captured his eyes.

"It's beautiful." Satoshi was stunned by the beauty of the delicate piece.

"Yes it is." Mr. Jones nodded in understanding of the awe the piece inspired, "Do you have a bag to put the items in?"

Satoshi snapped back to reality, "Of course, hold on just a moment." Pulling open the bottom drawer of his desk Satoshi pulled out a briefcase of his own.

Once the transaction was complete Mr. Jones rose to leave, "My client would like to see the necklace returned within thirty days, provided it is returned by then I will return with the other half of the payment, agreed?"

"Excellent, have a nice day Mr. Jones." Satoshi rose and politely showed the man out.

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><p>Daisuke sat surrounded by papers and sketches, he was alternating between twirling his pencil and tucking it impatiently behind his ear as he tried to come up with the safest route through the musem to the point he wanted to make the drop.<p>

On his last trip to the musem Daisuke had seen a beautiful statue of two dragons intertwined around a large pearl. The dragons were red and blue, their delicate scales were comprised of small ruby's and carefully cut sapphires. Their eyes were made of opal, while their claws and bared teeth were wrought silver.

The two dragons appeared to be fighting over who held the pearl; the red's left claw was extended towards the blue's neck while the blue's right claw was extended towards the red's eyes. Their wings were both open slightly, just enough that it looked like they were ready to spring into flight at a moments notice.

The angry tension of the piece was tempered by the words inscribed in the base of the pedastal they crouched on, "_In quo me non modo quid loquor," _or in English _"Only that in you which is me can hear what I'm saying."_

The piece was breathtaking, and small enough to fit in a travel bag. Daisuke had decided he wanted the contradictory, and thought provoking, piece for himself.

His only problem was going to be the fact that it was on the second floor and he was still unsure of the museum's security system.

"Hey."

Daisuke nearly jumped out of his skin, Satoshi seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, suddenly the bluenette was leaning over him looking at the museum maps Daisuke had spread out on the coffee table.

"Sato! When did you get home?"

"Just a minute ago, you looked like you were deep in thought."

"Well I was thinking about how to get in and out of this place unnoticed." Daisuke gestured to the maps.

"I see, I got the package, would you like to see?" Satoshi waved the briefcase under his friend's face teasingly before Daisuke grabbed it and popped open the latches to reveal five hundred thousand yen and the necklace of the Blue Moon Rose.

Daisuke's expression was apparently priceless because Satoshi chuckled and hugged him, "Think you can do it mister thief?"

"Of course mister policeman." Daisuke grinned and held up the necklace so he could examine it better, "And I know just how I'm going to do it too."

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><p><strong>AN: **I am so, so, sorry. I didn't mean to make everyone wait so long for this chapter, hopefully the next one will come to me a little easier. I had half of this chapter written but didn't know how to get it to a good stopping point so I left it alone for a while with the intention of coming back and finishing it up after maybe a few days but somehow it turned into a few months...

I apologize for the sporadic updates,

^_^ KB


	16. Old Habits

"So what is the plan master thief?" Satoshi leaned against the armrest as Daisuke examined the necklace closely.

"I saw on my last trip to the museum that the curators are holding a fundraiser in a week to which the public is invited." Daisuke looked Satoshi straight in the eyes, "And I also know that the piece I want to switch this with is going to be the centerpiece of the exhibition."

Satoshi could see the wheels in Daisuke's mind turning to formulate how things would go, "I'm not sure if I should be glad or worried that you know how to do this still."

Daisuke just grinned, "I did learn from the best." He put the necklace back in the wrapping paper and turned back to the floor plan of the museum, "I'm thinking if we get inside then you switch off the main power downstairs in the basement, while I set off a pair of smoke bombs I could make the switch during the confusion and be gone by the time the smoke clears."

Satoshi watched over the red head's shoulder as he outlined the rough idea for the plan, "Will we be sending out a notice?"

The mischievous glint in Daisuke's eyes told Satoshi everything before he spoke, "Old habits die hard."

"Then we'd better get the details ironed out." Satoshi picked up a copy of the floor plan and started plotting out the route he would take.

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><p>"Hey, did you guys hear? There's been a notice at Edo Museum saying that something would be returned the night of the fundraiser and that the centerpiece is going to be taken by a mysterious thief." Aiyo was leaning against his locker pulling on his sneakers as he spoke to the team in general.<p>

Darli looked over the top of the door of her locker, "Really? Isn't that fundraiser open to the public?"

"Yeah, which means I'm going to see what happens." Aiyo grinned, "Want to go with me darling?"

"I might go," Darli turned to Shanders, "what about you? You going to go?"

"I might, it sounds like it could be interesting." Shanders nodded.

"Heck, why don't we all go?" Nesuke stood up from the bench where he had been pulling on his tennis shoes, "That way if the thief does show up we can take him down."

"Who are you talking about taking down?" Satoshi stepped into the locker area rubbing his forehead.

"You heard about the notice sent to the Edo Museum right?" Aiyo leaned towards Satoshi, "We're thinking about going and trying to catch the thief, you should come too."

Satoshi paused, "Daisuke and I were actually planning on attending already, he wants to see the artwork."

"Great! We can all go and hang out together." Darli threw an arm around Satoshi's shoulder's in exuberance. Nobody noticed the flash of worry in Satoshi's eyes.

"Sounds good to me, more the merrier." Aiyo laughed and grabbed his jacket, "Now, who's up for a round of drinks at the Sakura Grill?"

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><p><strong>AN: **I think at this point all I can say is sorry for the slow updates, and I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and what's to come.


	17. The Heist

Satoshi tugged at the jacket of his suit uncomfortably, no matter how often he wore a suit he was still somewhat uncomfortable in it. His black pinstripe suit was identical to Daisuke's except for the ties, his was light blue, while Daisuke's was dark red.

"I find it strange that they've decided to host the gala despite the warning note, I suppose they believe that they have enough security." Satoshi sighed and pushed his glasses back up his nose from where they had slid.

"Well the note did say that the

"You ready for this Sato?" Daisuke asked from his spot on the couch where he was adjusting his shoes.

"No, I'm not, but I have faith that this will work, you are after all a Niwa." Satoshi grinned at the red-head who grinned back.

"Glad you think so highly of me." Daisuke winked playfully at Satoshi and tried one last time to unsuccessfully tame his wild red hair before they left the small apartment.

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><p>The gala was bustling, with guests and security both. As Satoshi and Daisuke walked in shoulder to shoulder they were jostled by eager art patrons who wanted to see the new exhibits.<p>

Satoshi spotted his friends heading their way, "Daisuke, why don't you go get us drinks I'll deflect the others." Daisuke nodded and slipped off into the crowd to grab drinks and take care of a few small personal matters.

"Hey Commander," Nesuke gave Satoshi a cheesy grin and glanced around, "There's some really nice stuff here, I bet Daisuke is enjoying himself already."

"Yes, he went to get us drinks." Satoshi glanced around, quietly counting the guards and cameras, "And then we will be beginning our tour of the exhibition together, would you all care to join us?"

"Ooh, sounds like fun, but Aiyo and I already planned on hanging out tonight, so we'll catch all you bachelors later." Darli grabbed Aiyo by the arm and dragged him off with a wink at the others before they were swallowed up in the crowd.

Shanders snorted, "Well, guess that leaves us to wait for Daisuke to rejoin us and then we four gentlemen can peruse at our leisure."

"I think that sounds like an excellent idea Shanders, not to mention that we might even be able to catch the thief if he even dares show up tonight." Nesuke cracked his knuckles sinisterly, "I for one look forward to it."

"What are you looking forward to Nesuke?" Daisuke's sudden question startled all three men.

"Ah, Daisuke, I'm looking forward to the possibility that this mysterious thief appears and I get to help apprehend him." Nesuke suddenly felt sheepish for admitting his intentions, "That and I really do like art."

Daisuke just laughed and handed Satoshi one of the two drinks he held, "I see, this thief had better be careful with you around huh?"

Satoshi slipped his free arm around Daisuke's waist, "By the way Nesuke, Shanders, I was going to tell everyone, but since the other two have already wandered off I'll just tell you two first. Daisuke and I have decided to try dating."

Nesuke later was uncertain whose jaw hit the ground harder, his or Shanders. "Co-congratulations guys.." Nesuke managed to stammer out after a few awkward seconds of staring at one another.

"Thanks Nesuke.' Daisuke beamed and leaned his head on Satoshi's shoulder nonchalantly, "We just recently discovered we've both had a crush on each other since way back when."

Shanders smiled, "Well I for one am quite happy for you two, now shall we all go peruse?"

Nods and cheerful smiles were exchanged as the quartet began its tour of the large museum, Shanders leading the way with Nesuke close by his side.

Satoshi and Daisuke followed along quietly holding back every now and then to allow a person slip in front of them until they were well and truly separated from Shanders and Nesuke.

"Time to go to work Satoshi, ten minutes till showtime." Daisuke whispered into his friend's ear and then placed a quick kiss on Satoshi's cheek making the bluenette blush slightly.

"Yeah yeah.." Satoshi grumbled and playfully shoved Daisuke away, "Go get to work you." With a laugh Daisuke melted into the crowd.

Satoshi shook his head and went back to admiring the painting he was next to, it seemed to be the artist's view of a two faced liar being confronted by someone he had lied to. "Food for thought." he mumbled before moving off to the basement to play his role in this little show.

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><p>Daisuke made his way to the main exhibit, hands in his pockets he mingled with the many admirers of the thoughtful piece, Pearl of the Heart's Truth. Daisuke was prepared to make the switch, inside his left pocket sat the necklace, in his right sat the remote that would detonate the smoke bombs he had placed strategically in the air vents.<p>

All he had to do was wait for Satoshi's signal that the cameras were down, he'd only have a ten second window to snatch the sculpture and replace it with the necklace then be gone as quickly as he had come.

As he stood there admiring the piece he was also scanning the area around him using his peripheral vision to check for the security guards locations. Daisuke heard Darli's tell tale laugh and knew that if the signal didn't come right on time then he wouldn't be able to complete the job.

He could hear Darli and Aiyo coming closer, there were only a few people in between them now, and just before they got any closer there was a complete blackout. Several women shrieked, the security men shouted that the thief had come and were scrambling to get to the centerpiece.

All the while Daisuke hit the detonation button and calmly moved forward, he was three steps from the piece and as he moved he pulled the necklace from his pocket, snatching the sculpture in one hand he laid the necklace back on the pedestal and was gone like the wind as harmless smoke filled the museum setting off the fire alarms and causing even more chaos.

It was time to go, Daisuke made his way through the rushing crowd to the concessions table where he had located a small travel bag earlier underneath its long linen cloth. Securing the piece inside the bag Daisuke got out of the museum as quickly as everyone else, but instead of going out the main doors he went out one of the side exits along with several other fleeing patrons, then once in the alleyway he went down the supposedly dead end. At the end there was a maintenance ladder conveniently left by the handyman that had come earlier that day, up the ladder he went and onto the fire escape of the building next door.

Satoshi was waiting for him at the rooftop, "Got it?"

"Right here, shall we?" Daisuke held up the bag triumphantly as Satoshi motioned for him to lead the way.

"After you master thief." Satoshi gave him a mock bow and the two made off across the roof tops to where they could climb down and make their way back to Satoshi's apartment to celebrate their victory.


End file.
